The Greencastle-Antrim girls' varsity soccer team had its record-setting run come to a close Thursday evening, falling to Palmyra 3-1 in the quarterfinals of the District 3-AA playoffs at Boiling Springs High School.

The loss snapped a 17-game winning streak for the Blue Devils, dating back to Sept. 7, while ending G-A's season with a final overall mark of 17-3.

Understandably, the early exit for the second-seeded Blue Devils was a disheartening final chapter to an otherwise sensational campaign, which featured a second-consecutive Mid-Penn Colonial Division title and a program record in wins.

"We wanted a different outcome tonight, but we just weren't ready for the physicality of their forwards," G-A coach Greg Cole said. "We ended with the best overall record in program history, so it was certainly a successful season. We just wanted it to continue."

The first 30 minutes of Thursday's contest was mostly spent in the middle of the field, with both sides unable to create any true opportunities.

The 10th-seeded Cougars managed to break the trend with 9:24 remaining in the first half, as the strength of the Palmyra forwards came front and center.

After tracking down a counterattack, Maddie Good battled hip-to-hip with a G-A defender before being challenged by keeper Jenay Faulkner, with the Cougar captain displaying excellent body control en route to sending a sliding shot past Faulkner for a 1-0 lead.

Two chances for the Blue Devils in the final five minutes ultimately came up empty, sending G-A into halftime trailing by one.

The complexion of the contest dramatically shifted in the opening 10 minutes of the second period, with Palmyra (11-9) turning a one-goal advantage into a 3-0 lead.

Less than three minutes in, the Cougars swarmed to G-A's end of the field, with Kristen Smoluk firing a shot into the hands of a diving Faulkner only to have the rebound attempt roll onto the foot of Emily Salvaggio, who swiftly capitalized to extend the margin to 2-0.

Smoluk struck again at 31:11, out-muscling a defender for a one-on-one chance against Faulkner, with the junior lofting a shot into the upper-left corner, pushing the lead to 3-0.

Now experiencing a sense of desperation, G-A shifted around its personnel in an attempt to create pressure, with the Blue Devils finally able to break through with 21:42 left to play.

After intercepting a clear attempt by Palmyra, Ally Rudy connected with sister Tabi Rudy on what resembled a gorgeous give-and-go, with Tabi sliding a return pass toward the left post, giving Ally just enough space to sneak a shot under keeper Kathryn McClellan, cutting the deficit to 3-1.

With the season still hanging in the balance, the Blue Devils' frantic effort continued, frequently possessing in the opponent's end throughout the final 20 minutes of regulation.

Page 2 of 2 - Even so, the Cougars stood tall, managing to clear threat after threat to eventually close out the victory.

"They're a quality ball club and they deserve plenty of credit," Cole said of Palmyra, which will face Northern York in Monday's semifinals. "We knew coming in that we were going to have to contain their forwards. They didn't have a tremendous amount of speed, but they really know how to use their bodies. We haven't been pressed like that all season."

Looking ahead, there's plenty of reason for optimism, as G-A will return a wealth of starters from this year's roster, providing experience for a program clearly on the rise.

"Each year John (Rudy) and I have been here, we've taken a step forward," Cole explained. "Now, we have to learn how to play hard, physical, fast soccer at the district level in order to continue our progression as a program."